MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

11/17 Cubs close to naming manager

Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer left the Pfister Hotel on Thursday apparently three outs away from naming a new manager.

Epstein, the Cubs president of baseball operations, and Hoyer, the team’s general manager, would not comment on reports that the Cubs have offered the manager’s job to Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum. There were reports that Sveum could be named as early as Friday.

“We can’t address anything specifically at this point,” Epstein said as he left the Pfister Hotel, site of the General Manager Meetings. “As Jed said [Wednesday], we’re at that stage. We’ve been open with [the media] throughout this process, very open, but when it gets to the final inning here, we need to keep things confidential. If and when we have somthing to announce, we’ll do so.”

A source told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Thursday morning that Sveum was offered the job but nothing had been finalized. Asked if Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts had met with the selected candidate, Epstein would not comment.

“We’ve got our closer in the game,” Epstein said. “We’ve got to get the 27th out.”

The Cubs interviewed Sveum, Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux, Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr., and Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale. Maddux apparently has withdrawn from consideration for family reasons. Asked if Epstein had told any of the candidates they were no longer in contention, he said no.

Does being in the final inning mean they could name a manager Thursday night?

This guy is better than Sanburg! This is laughable…these new guys want a puppet not a manager. Where is the loyalty to Cubs fans and Cubs tradition…this makes me sick…I am been a Cub fan for 60 years, been a Scout for the Cubs and a sports host for A Second Look at Sports…and this is insane! I will never go to Wrigley again and curse the day this new bunch steeped into Wrigley. I feel like I have been set free from the bondage of being a Cub Fan! The Cubs could win the next 10 World Series and I won’t care…I am out of here…sad day!

Yeah, but he has years of experience in the Majors and Sangberg doesn’t. Listen, Sandberg was my hero growing up, I freakin’ love the guy. I don’t like the fact that they didn’t at least interview him, but maybe there’s something we don’t know, ever think of that? You wanna write off years of being a Cubs fan and pretend that you coulda done it better than the guys who get paid millions to do it for a living, go ahead. But I’m excited that the Cubs are actually making some big moves, and I trust that the guys at the helm, who have a proven track record, know what they’re doing. Just because the guy was the best second baseman of all time doesn’t mean he could be a great manager, or sportscaster, or even third base coach. Nothing but live and respect for Ryno here, and I’d love to see him in the dugout at Wrigley again. Who knows, maybe they have plans of bringing him on in another capacity. I for one am excited to see the Cubs making some big moves and see where this all leads.

I for one echo Russ’s thoughts and will rely on the fact that HENDRY IS GONE which more than offsets the dissapointment of the organization dismissing out of hand Sandberg as manager. It does seem as if Sandberg is getting the shaft, first by the inept Hendry and now by Epstein…who will be a TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT over Hendry so I will just kick back and let the whiz kids take our Cubs to the World Series and put all my faith in Epstein and his people. Give credit to the Ricketts for getting things started by launching Hendry. What else can we want or expect? Sandberg as manager? Sure, but let’s not be greedy because given a choice of Hendry being fired or Sandberg as manager….the former is more significant. Sveum comes highly regarded and just like Epstein is a HUGE improvement over Hendry, Sveum is a HUGE improvement of Quade. Hendry gone, Quade gone, Epstein here, Sveum here….come on people THIS IS ALL GOOD!

There is no magic wand that will help Soriano. The only magic is in the hands of Epstein and if he can pull a Soriano for ANYBODY trade out of his hat…THAT would be magic.
I would rather have all the millions of dollars that would go to Fielder go into the starting pitching. I’m tired of “big bats” that are perceived to be what the Cubs need to get to the playoffs. We need to focus on some AWESOME pitching and fill in the offense with capable, solid hitters instead of 8 yr contracts of superstars that will only get older and slower into their loooooong contract. I would rather have pitchers of Lincecum’s and Halliday’s talent to go along with Garza and get by with LaHair at 1B instead of Fielder at 1B and the current starting rotation.

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